Howard Simmons/New York Daily News
The frustration is all over Carmelo Anthony’s face as the Knicks fall to the Blazers at the Garden Wednesday night.
Mike Woodson wouldn’t leave the floor until he got one last word in with referee Danny Crawford.
The language the Knicks head coach used left little to the imagination and the frustration on his face was evident.
With Woodson seemingly in trouble again and the Knicks in the midst of yet another losing streak, James Dolan could have an important decision on his hands in the coming days and weeks. Portland managed to hang on for a 94-90 victory on a night when Raymond Felton sat the fourth quarter and Carmelo Anthony failed in the final period.
The Knicks are now 19-30 overall and the schedule only gets tougher. What this all means for Woodson is unclear but with the Feb. 20 trade deadline looming, it is clear that the Knicks have to do something to salvage their season.
Frank Franklin II/AP
All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge (l.) scores 15 points but hits a big jumper over Tyson Chandler (r.) near the end.
Anthony led all scorers with 26 points but went 0-for-5 in the fourth quarter while the remaining four starters – Felton, Iman Shumpert, Tyson Chandler and Pablo Prigioni – combined for 14 points. Shumpert failed to score as Woodson turned to his bench for scoring. J.R. Smith, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tim Hardaway scored 18, 15 and 12 points respectively as the Knicks fell to 11-17 at home.
Portland improved to 35-14 overall as Nicolas Batum led the Blazers with 20 points and 10 rebounds. All Star LaMarcus Aldridge finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds and despite shooting 5-for-17 the power forward hit a crucial turnaround jumper with 35 seconds left after the Knicks had cut an 11-point deficit to two. Fellow All Star Damian Lillard added 12 points on 4-for-12 shooting while Wesley Matthews scored 18 points and Mo Williams added 10.
Felton, criticized for his performance in Monday’s loss at Milwaukee, finished with seven points and three assists in 24 minutes. Prigioni had five points, seven rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes. Chandler had just two points in 31 minutes while Shumpert went 0-for-5. The Knicks were upset over several close calls in the final period but Anthony’s failure to score in the quarter led to their demise.
Portland is currently on a four-game trip that began with a loss in Washington on Monday. In recent weeks, the Blazers have fallen behind the red hot Oklahoma City Thunder in the standings and had lost four straight away games.
They entered the fourth quarter leading 77-68 aided by back-to-back careless plays from Smith. First, he turned the ball over on a drive to the basket and compounded his error by fouling Dorell Wright in the act of shooting a three. Wright converted all three which gave Portland an 11-point lead before Anthony answered with a jumper.
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images
Rookie guard Tim Hardaway Jr. scores 12 points including a late 3-pointer.
Anthony was yet again being called on to provide most of the scoring as three starters – Chandler, Shumpert and Prigioni – all failed to score in the first half. Chandler added a basket in the third quarter but the lack of production from the starting five was troubling.
Portland has one of the better starting units in the league and held a nine-point advantage after three quarter despite Aldridge making just 3 of his first 13 shots. Lillard was just 4 for 10 entering the fourth while Matthews and Batum combined for 35 points.
With Anthony starting the final period on the bench, back-to-back baskets from Hardaway and Prigioni cut Portland’s lead to 77-72. The Knicks came up empty on their next three possessions but after Portland committed turnovers on back-to-back trips, Jeremy Tyler made one of two free throws.
Over the first three minutes of the fourth, Portland missed its first six shots and committed four turnovers. With Mo Williams in danger of committing a fifth turnover, the veteran point guard called time out which allowed head coach Terry Stotts to get Aldridge back on the floor and the power forward promptly missed his first shot. Portland was now 0-for-7 and Prigioni’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 77-76 with eight minutes left.
After Anthony missed a pull-up that would have given the Knicks a lead, Williams drained a corner three after the Blazers had missed their first 10 field goal attempts. Anthony missed his second shot on the period and Robin Lopez’ two free throws made it 82-76.
Howard Simmons/New York Daily News
The late Oscar winning actor and big Knicks fan Philip Seymour Hoffman is given a brief tribute at the game.
Anthony then committed the Cardinal sin by picking up a fourth quarter technical after being called for a foul while going up for a rebound. Lillard missed the free throw but Wesley Matthews drew a shooting foul on Hardaway but he managed to make just one of two.
Smith scored on the Knicks next two possessions but with a chance to make it a one possession game he was called for an offensive foul. Lopez was then fouled by Chandler and made just one free throw to put Portland ahead 86-80 with 3:10 remaining.
Hardaway drew a shooting foul but converted just one free throw. However, after Matthews missed a contested lay-up, the Knicks had another chance but Smith misfired on a pull-up. Batum’s pull-up made it a seven-point game and after Hardaway and Smith missed on consecutive possessions, Aldridge’s one free throw gave the Blazers an 89-81 lead with 1:11 remaining.
Woodson called time out and with the Garden starting to empty, the Knicks decided to show some fight. It began with Hardaway missing a three but the rebounding ending up in Smith’s hands. Left alone, Smith calmly sank a three. Portland then helped out when Batum, completely oblivious to Prigioni trailing him, committed a turnover that led to Hardaway’s three with 50 seconds left.
In 10 seconds, the Knicks had scored six points and trailed just 89-87. This time Stotts called time out and the Blazers, desperate for a basket, went ahead 91-87 when Aldridge hit a tough turnaround over Chandler with 35.5 seconds left.
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